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Monday, May 23, 2011

Cleveland Public Library Brings Award-Winning Filmmakers To Town For A Free Program On May 26, 2011

Press release from the Cleveland Public Library:

Award-winning film directors David O. Russell and Lisa Cholodenko will join producer Ted Hope for a conversation on the independent film industry on Thursday, May 26, at 6:30pm in the Cleveland Public Library’s Stokes Auditorium. This program is free and open to the public.
Most recently, David O. Russell directed THE FIGHTER, which was nominated for seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director, and won for Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress for Christian Bale and Melissa Leo, respectively. Lisa Cholodenko directed and co-wrote THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT, which was nominated for four Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and won Golden Globes for Best Picture—Comedy/Musical and Best Actress for Annette Bening’s performance.

Ted Hope has produced over 60 films, including 21 GRAMS, AMERICAN SPLENDOR, SUPER, IN THE BEDROOM, and THE ICE STORM, among others. Hope was a co-founder of Good Machine, a production company that was bought by Universal in 2002. He is also co-founder of This is that productions and, most recently, Double Hope Films, which he runs with his wife, Vanessa Hope. Hope also writes a blog called “Hope for Film,” which was recently picked up by IndieWire and can be found at http://blogs.indiewire.com/tedhope/.

This conversation will focus on the process of creating, producing, distributing films in a changing marketplace that is defined by new technologies and the difference between the personal narratives of independent films and major studio productions.

The program is part of the Lockwood Thompson Dialogues, which are presented by the Cleveland Public Library in partnership with Cleveland Public Art. The Lockwood Thompson Dialogues are generously supported through an endowment of the late Lockwood Thompson, who was a trustee of the Cleveland Public Library and an avid supporter of the arts.

“We are thrilled to be bringing filmmakers of this caliber to Cleveland,” says Felton Thomas, Director of Cleveland Public Library, the nonprofit organization that manages the program. “The Library is a great venue for having conversations on topics that are of current relevance in contemporary culture. Due to the relatively low cost of filmmaking equipment and the ability of emerging filmmakers to put their work online, there has never been a better time for aspiring filmmakers to be making movies. Ted, Lisa, and David will be sharing their experiences making films and talking about the future of the industry.”

To learn more about this event, visit www.cpl.org or www.clevelandpublicart.org.